Camera-steadying device

ABSTRACT

A portable camera steady device for use with a camera, having a retractable tensile member whose distal end can be stepped on by a user or hooked to her body or clothing. The device has a swivel mounting member providing two independent and generally perpendicular axes of rotation such that the tensile member extends tangentially from the reel and housing whether the camera is used in the landscape or portrait orientation. A switch is provided to control extension and retraction of the tensile member from a biased reel.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to devices for steadying a camera forimproved photographs and images.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

Tripods for supporting and steadying image recording devices such asphotographic, video and movie cameras have been known. More recently,portable steadying devices that can be mounted or attached to a cameraand/or worn on the body have been known. Such portable devices typicallyprovide a tensile member that can be lengthened and pulled tautly by theuser to help steady the camera. However, many of such prior devices areadapted to be attached to the camera in only one configuration, limitingthe orientation of the camera to, for example, the landscapeorientation. Thus, if the camera is used in the portrait orientation,these devices are not as useful and can even be damaged with the tensilemember being tangled, twisted and weakened. Moreover, many of theseprior devices that allow the user to step on a distal end of the tensilemember provide no alternatives in the event contact with the ground orthe user's shoe is undesirable such as when the ground or shoe is dirtyor wet. Furthermore, many of these prior devices provided limited, ifany, locking mechanism controlling the extension and/or retraction ofthe tensile member for purposes of facilitating storing, deployment andadjustment of the tensile member.

Accordingly, it is desirable that a camera-steadying device provides ahousing that allows the camera to be used in either the landscape orportrait orientation without damage or premature wear and tear of thetensile member. It is also desirable that the device allows differentmeans by which the deployed tensile member can be anchored. It is alsodesirable that the device allows varied control over the extension andretraction of the tensile member for storing, deploying and adjustingthe deployed length.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed to a compact and portable camerasteadying device that is usable with a camera operating in either thelandscape or portrait configuration. In one embodiment, the deviceincludes a housing with a retractable reel providing a tensile memberthat can be deployed and anchored to a user's body or clothing. Thedevice includes a swivel mounting member that allows the tensile memberto be advantageously deployed in a tangential direction relative to thereel and housing whether the camera is operating in the landscape orportrait configuration. The device also includes a swivel tab memberthat allows a distal end of the tensile member to be stepped on orhooked to the user's clothing including a belt or shoe laces. The devicefurther includes a switch adapted to provide varied control in theextension and retraction of the tensile member.

In a more detailed embodiment, the swivel mounting member provides twoindependent axes of rotation between the camera and the device such thatthe camera and device can lie in a common plane for the camera tooperate in the landscape orientation, or in perpendicular planes for thecamera to operate in the portrait orientation. In either configuration,the tensile member is deployed tangentially from the reel and housing toavoid undue wear and tear on the tensile member.

In another more detailed embodiment, the swivel tab member can lie at anangle ranging between about 0 and 180 degrees relative to the tensilemember such that the tab member can be stored compactly in the housingor releasably anchored to the user's foot or clothing without undue wearand tear on the tensile member. In yet another detailed embodiment, theswitch of the device is movable between multiple positions, including arelease position, a locked position and an extend position by means of aratchet that can be completely disengaged from the reel, or releasablyengaged at one end to prevent any rotation, and engaged at the other endto allow rotation in one direction while preventing rotation in theother direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the present invention will bebetter understood by reference to the following detailed descriptionwhen considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a camera-steadyingdevice in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 a is a top plan view of an embodiment of the device a swivelmounting member in a stored configuration and a swivel tab member in adeployed configuration.

FIG. 2 b is a perspective view of an embodiment of the device attachedto a camera in a landscape orientation.

FIG. 2 c is a perspective view of an embodiment of the device attachedto a camera in a portrait orientation.

FIG. 2 d is an end view of an embodiment of the device with a tensilemember extending from the device.

FIG. 3 a is a top plan view of an embodiment of a first housing half ofthe device, a swivel mounting member, and a switch in a “locked”position.

FIG. 3 b is a top plan view of the housing of FIG. 3 a wherein theswitch is in a “release” position.

FIG. 3 c is a top plan view of the housing of FIG. 3 a wherein theswitch is in an “extend” position.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of an embodiment of a second housing half ofthe device, including a reel, and a swivel tab member in a storedconfiguration.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of an embodiment of a reel.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a swivel tab member.

FIG. 7 is a top plan view of an embodiment of a switch detached from arounded corner of the first housing half.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the switch.

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of an embodiment of a swivel mountingmember.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the swivel mounting member of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIGS. 1-4 illustrate an embodiment of a camera steadying device 10 thatallows a user to help steady a photographic or video camera 12 fortaking better and clearer images. The device includes a housing member14 in which a retractable reel 16 is provided with a tensile member 18that can be extended for creating a positive tensile force to steady thecamera. The housing member includes a switch 20 to at least (1) allowrotation of the retractable reel only in one direction, (2) allowrotation of the retractable reel in both directions, and (3) lock theretractable reel against any rotation. The housing member 14 furtherincludes a swivel mounting member 22 that can be positioned in a lockedstorage configuration detached from the camera (FIG. 2 a), or in variousdeployed configurations attached to the camera 12 in either the portraitorientation (FIG. 2 c) or landscape orientation (FIG. 2 b) with minimalstress fatigue on the tensile member 18.

With reference to FIG. 2 a, the housing member has a main body portion26 with a proximal end 28, a distal end 30 along a longitudinal axis 31,and two sides 32 parallel with the axis 31. The main body has a planar,generally rectangular profile defined by two flat surfaces 27. The bodyhas a rounded corner 34 and an indented corner 36 at the distal end 30.The housing member has a length between the ends 28 and 30 rangingbetween about 3.0 inches and 3.5 inches, preferably about 3.25 inches, awidth between the two sides 32 ranging between about 2.0 inches 2.5inches, preferably about 2.25 inches, and a thickness between the twoflat surfaces ranging between about 0.5 and 1.0 inches, preferably about0.75 inches. The overall size can be comparable to present daypocket-size digital cameras.

With reference to FIGS. 2 b, 2 c, 3 and 4, the housing member 14includes two similar housing halves 14 a and 14 b that are generallymirror-images of each other. The housing halves are configured tocontact each other along a peripheral edge 40 which when joined form aseam 42 around the device. The first housing half 14 a has multiplethrough-holes 43 that are aligned with cylindrical projections 44 formedin the second housing half 14 b. To releasably fasten the halves 14 a,14 b to each other, screws (not shown) are inserted through the holes 43and received in the cylindrical projections 44. The switch 20 is locatedat the rounded corner 34 of the distal end 30, and the tensile member 18exits the interior of the housing via a slot opening 48 (FIG. 2 d)formed in the indented corner 36 of the distal end. At the proximal endof the housing member are two opposing arms 50 that extend tangentiallyfrom the sides 32. Extending between the arms 50 is the swivel mountingmember 22.

Turning to the interior of the housing 14 as shown in FIGS. 3 c and 4,the tensile member 18 is wound on the reel 16 which has a centralopening 50 that receives a central axis member 52 projectingperpendicularly from an inner surface of the second housing half 14 btoward the first housing half 14 a. The reel 16 is thus mounted on thecentral axis member 52 such that it can rotate about the central axis ina clockwise or counter clockwise direction. The reel has a first side 54a that faces the first housing half 14 a and a second side 54 b thatfaces the second housing half 14 b.

As shown in FIG. 4, the first side 54 a that faces the first housinghalf 14 a has is an inner annular space 66 spanning between the axismember 52 and a circumferential wall 68 at a periphery of the first side54 a of the reel. The annular space 66 is occupied by a spring coil 70to bias the reel to rotate in a retraction direction that wounds thetensile member 18 in the channel 56. An inner end of the coil 70 isanchored in a slot 72 in the central axis member 52. An outer end of thecoil 70 is anchored in a slot 74 formed on the first side 54 a in thereel 16. On an outer surface of the wall 68 are a plurality ofcircumferential cogs 76 that interact with the switch 20, as explainedfurther below.

With reference to FIG. 5, between the first and second sides 54 a, 54 band adjacent the second side 54 b is a circumferential channel 56 of thereel in which the tensile member 18 is wound. An inner or proximal endof the tensile member is anchored in an end cap 60 that sits in a recess62 formed on second side 54 b of the reel. A cutout 63 is formed in thesecond side 54 b of the reel to allow the tensile member 18 to extendbetween the channel 56 and the recess 62.

As understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the tensile member 18(e.g., a cable, chain, cord or monofilament) is adapted to unwind fromthe reel 16 and extend outside of the housing member 14 through the slotopening 48 when a distal end of the tensile member is drawn by the userwith sufficient force to overcome the biasing retraction force of thespring coil 70. When the distal end is released by the user, the tensilemember 18 rewinds on the reel 16 under the biasing force of the springcoil 70. With reference to FIGS. 1 and 6, a distal end of the tensilemember 16 is equipped with a swivel tab member 80 configuredadvantageously for the user to step on or to hook on to her clothing. Inthe disclosed embodiment, the tab member is somewhat L-shaped and has anelongated, generally rectangular body defining a longitudinal axis 81.The tab member has a tethered proximal end 82, a distal end 84 and aplanar main portion 86 therebetween with a top surface 87, a bottomsurface 88 and two side edges 89. The proximal end 82 has an enlargedportion 83 which extends from top surface 87. The enlarged portion isformed with a through-hole 90 generally perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis 81. The hole 90 receives ends of a cylindrical fitting92 in which the distal end of the tensile member 18 is anchored. Thecylindrical fitting 92 is configured for rotational movement in the hole90 relative to the tab member 80 about an axis generally perpendicularto the axis 81. A slot 94 aligned with the longitudinal axis 81 isprovided in the enlarged portion 83 to accommodate the tensile member 18and allow the tensile member a range of swivel motion with the tabmember 80, for example, ranging between about 0 degree adjacent the tabmember (broken lines) to 90 degrees perpendicular with the tab member(solid lines) and to 180 degrees opposite of the tab member (brokenlines). This range of motion allows the tab member 80 to be stored inthe housing member 14 (see FIG. 2 b) and deployed outside of the housingmember (FIG. 2 a) with minimal stress on the tensile member 18,especially at or near its distal end anchored in the fitting 92 withinthe tab member 80. This range of motion also allows the user tolaterally sweep or otherwise move the camera from side to side withoutstressing the tensile member along its extended length or at or near thefitting.

The main portion 86 of the tab member 80 is generally flat so that itcan be comfortably and effectively stepped on by a foot of the user whenthe tab member is deployed. To that end, the top surface 87 has afriction-inducing surface, such as a surface with traction ridges 96 sothe tab member 80 does not easily slide out from under the user's footas the user pulls the tensile member taut in providing positive tensionto steady the camera. And, where it is not suitable for the user to stepon the tab member 80, such as when the user's shoe or foot or a groundsurface is wet or dirty, the tab member can be advantageously coupled tothe user's body and clothing, including a belt 200 or shoe laces 202(FIG. 1), by means of an open hook formation 98 at the distal end.

Turning to the switch 20 of the device 10, the switch is better shown inFIGS. 7 and 8. The switch can lock the reel against retraction orextension (FIG. 3 a), release the reel for retraction and extension(FIG. 3 b), or allow extension while locking the reel against retraction(FIG. 3 c). That is, the switch is slidable between three positions forcontrolling the extension of the tensile member, namely, (1) a lockedposition (FIG. 3 a), (2) a release position (FIGS. 3 b), and (3) anextend position (FIG. 3 c). As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 7, theswitch 20 has an elongated body of a generally curved or arcuate shapeto correspond and conform with the rounded corner 34 of the housing. Theswitch has an elongated outer user interface portion 100 with a frictioninducing outer surface 101 (e.g., a plurality of parallel raised ridges102) between two curved end portions 104 that conform with and hug therounded corner 34. The outer surface 101 is adapted for contact with auser's thumb or finger for sliding the switch between the variouspositions.

The switch also has an inner elongated slider 106 with a two-endedratchet 108 inward of the slider, and a neck portion 110 between andconnecting the outer interface portion 100 and the inner slider 106. Atthe rounded corner 34, the housing 14 is formed with a rectangularopening 119 defined by a slightly recessed formation 120 in each housinghalf (FIG. 2 c), through which the neck portion 110 extends. The switch20 is sandwiched between the first and second housing halves 14 a and 14b but it is slidable in a circumferential direction along the roundedcorner 34. The recessed formation 120 is defined by inset segments 124of the peripheral edge (see FIGS. 3 and 4) at the rounded corner 34 ofthe housing halves, which accommodate and conform with the curved endportions 104 of the interface portion 100 of the switch. The segments124 are situated between the curved end portions 104 and the slider 106.As such, the interface portion 100 is outside of the housing andexposed, whereas the slider 106 and the ratchet 108 are inside thehousing 14. The opening 119 in the housing is sufficiently elongatedalong the peripheral edge 40 so as not to interfere with the neckportion 110 as the switch 20 is moved between the three positions. Thecurved end portions 104 of the interface portion 100 are sufficientlyelongated along the inset segments 124 such that the opening 119 iscovered by the switch 20 in all three positions.

The slider 106 is also elongated along the segments 124 but it sitsinside the segments 124. On an outwardly facing surface of the slider isat least one ridge formation 126 (FIG. 8) at or near each end of theslider. The ridge formations 126 are adapted for releasable engagementwith grooves 128 formed in an inner surface of the segments 124 toreleasably lock the switch 20 in each of the three positions. Thesegments 124, the interface portion 100 and the slider 106 have acurvature similar to each other, so that they have a conforminginconspicuous profile allowing the switch 20 to be moved into the threepositions along the rounded corner of the housing member.

In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 8, the interface portion 100 andthe slider 106 have nearly the same length whereas the ratchet has agreater length. In the width dimension, the slider portion 106 has thegreatest width, with the interface portion 100 having a lesser width andthe ratchet 108 having the least width. As such, each of the interfaceportion 100 and the slider 106 sits in both housing halves 14 a and 14 bwhereas the ratchet 108 sits primarily in the first housing half 14 a.

The ratchet 108 has a mid-portion connected to the slider, and twoopposing arms 130 a, 130 b, each with a free end with an inwardly facingtooth member 112 a, 112 b. Both arms have hinge formations 114 a, 114 b(e.g., transverse slices or cutouts) to provide flexibility. In theillustrated embodiment, the shorter arm 130 a (to the left of the neckportion 110 in FIG. 8) has inwardly facing hinge formation 114 a tofacilitate outward flexure, and the longer arm 130 b (to the right ofthe neck portion 110 in FIG. 8) has outwardly-facing hinge formations114 b to facilitate inward flexure. In that regard, it is understoodthat flexure (inwardly or outwardly) can be facilitated with either aninwardly-facing or outwardly-facing hinge formation. The tooth member112 b interacts with a one-way release cam 132. The tooth member 112 ainteracts with a locking cam 134. The one-way release cam 132 is formedas an inwardly facing protrusion on the inner surface of the housinghalf 14 a, at an end 136 of the segment 124 a. The locking cam 134 isformed as protrusion near an end 136 of the segment 124 b, on the innersurface of the first housing half 14 a projecting toward the secondhousing half 14 b.

When the switch is moved into the “extend” position (FIG. 3 c), a raisedformation 140 provided on an outwardly facing surface of the ratchet arm130 b comes into contact with the one-way release cam 132 which bendsthe arm 130 b inwardly as facilitated by the hinge(s) 114 b so that thetooth member 112 b engages a cog 76 on the reel 16. While the ratchetarm 130 b is sufficiently rigid to remain engaged with the cog 76 andprevent rotation of the reel against the retraction bias of the springcoil 70, the ratchet arm 130 b is hinged for outward flexure such thatit is sufficiently flexible to release the cog and allow rotation of thereel when the user draws on the tensile member 18 to extend it from thehousing member. Thus, when the switch 20 is in the “extend” position,the reel 16 is allowed extension rotation in one direction (namely,clockwise in FIG. 3 c) but not retraction rotation in the oppositedirection (namely, counterclockwise in FIG. 3 c). As the user draws onthe tensile member 18, a “clicking” sound is audible when the toothmember 112 b slides over a series of cogs 76.

When the user moves the switch 20 to the “release” position (FIG. 3 b),the raised formation 140 is moved out of contact with the one wayrelease cam 132, whereupon the ratchet arm 130 b elastically returns toits resting configuration and the tooth member 112 b releases itsengagement with the reel 16. The reel can then either retract thetensile member 18 under the biasing force of the coil spring 70 or berotated in an opposite direction (namely, clockwise in FIG. 3 b) whenthe user pulls on the tensile member 18 with a force sufficient toovercome the biasing force of the coil spring 70 to extend the tensilemember.

When the user moves the switch 20 to the “locked” position (FIG. 3 a),the opposite ratchet arm 130 a comes into contact engagement with thelocking cam 134 which exerts an inward force to bend the ratchet arm 130a such that the tooth member 112 a engages a cog 76 on the reel 16. Theinwardly facing hinge formation 114 a allows the arm 130 a to bendreadily toward the reel 16 for a locking engagement between the toothmember 112 a and the cog 76 that is intended to be releasable only whenthe switch 20 is moved out of the “locked” position. The lockingengagement prevents the reel 16 from rotating in either direction andthus prevents the tensile member 18 from being extended or retracted.The locking cam 134 has a trapezoidal cross section and a contactsurface 138 that is angled inwardly to push the tooth member 112 ainwardly toward the cogs 76.

Notably, the switch 20 is adapted to remain in any selected positionuntil moved by the user by means of the releasable engagement betweenthe ridges 126 on the slider 106 and the indents 128 on the segments 124of the peripheral edge of the housing halves. The switch 20 can be madeof any suitable material that is sufficiently rigid yet flexible andelastic to enable the ratchet arms 130 to releasably interact with thecams 132, 134 and engage the reel 16. Plastics, such as acetal resins,are suitable materials.

With reference to FIGS. 2 a, 9, 10, the swivel mounting member 22 has agenerally elongated rectangular body with a length L, a width W and athickness T. The swivel member is hollow (or six-sided in the disclosedembodiment) to reduce weight of the device. The swivel body has two ends160 that face the arms 50 extending from the housing 14. On each of theends is a cylindrical prong 162 that is received in a respective recess164 (FIG. 2 a) formed in the arms 50 in allowing a range of rotationrelative to the housing 14. The prongs 162 thus define a first swivelaxis 166 that is generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis 31 ofthe housing 14.

Extending through the thickness T dimension of the swivel mountingmember 22 at a mid-location along the length L of the member 22 if amounting screw with a large head 172 having a friction-inducingcircumferential contact surface 175 and a shaft 173 whose length isgreater than the thickness of the member 22 so that a distal end 174 isexposed. The exposed distal end 174 is adapted to be received in athreaded tripod mounting hole provided on a bottom side of mostconventional cameras. A cushion liner or pad 176 (FIG. 10) is providedon a distal contact surface 178 of the swivel mounting member whichallows the screw 170 to be securely fastened to the camera 12 whileenabling rotation of the swivel member 22 relative to the camera aboutthe screw 170. Notably, the screw 170 defines a second rotational orswivel axis 177 that is advantageously perpendicular to and independentof the first rotational or swivel axis 160 defined by the prongs 162.Thus, the present device provides two independent axes of rotationbetween the device and the camera. In the disclosed embodiment, thedevice has a rotational range of 360 degrees about the axis 177 and arotational range of about 180 degrees about the axis 166. These two axesof rotational minimize stress on the tensile member during deployment byallowing the tensile member to extend tangentially from the reel andhousing to its anchored distal end whether the camera is used in thelandscape or portrait orientation.

Used in the landscape orientation, the camera 12 can lie in a commonplane with the device 10 (along with the mounting member 22 and themounting screw 170), as shown in FIG. 2 b. Moreover, the mounting screw170 is parallel with the longitudinal axis 31 of the device. The slotopening 48 faces downwardly with the tensile member extendingtangentially from the reel 16 and stretched downwardly with minimal, ifany, stress imposed on the tensile member 18 as it extends tangentiallyfrom the reel toward the user's belt, shoes or feet in a linear path.

Used in the portrait orientation, the camera 12 and the device 10 lie inperpendicular planes in that they are perpendicular to each other.Moreover, the housing 14 is perpendicular to the swivel mounting screw170, as shown in FIG. 2 c, in that the screw 170 is perpendicular to thelongitudinal axis 31 of the device. However, the slot opening 48 remainsfacing downwardly with the tensile member 18 stretched downwardly as itextends tangentially from the reel 16 toward the user's belt, shoes orfeet in a linear path. It is understood that the device may be rotatedso that the switch 20 faces rearward (toward the user) as opposed tofacing forward (toward the subject of the image to be taken by thecamera).

Thus, regardless of the camera's orientation, the device 10 can be usedin a manner by which the tensile member 18 can be deployed and pulledtautly without significant contact, rubbing or bending around anyportion of the housing at the slot opening. The tensile member thus canremain free of kinks or bends that can otherwise lead to premature wearand tear on the tensile member or the housing. By providing twoindependent axes of rotation, the device can be easily maneuvered intodeployment whether the user uses the camera in the landscape orientationor the portrait orientation.

To arrange the device between the landscape and portrait orientations ofthe camera, the screw 170 remains connected to the camera which the usercan rotate the housing 14 about the axis 166 and rotate the housing 14about the axis 177, as a single movement, or two separate movements ineither sequence. Typically, transitioning from use with the camera inthe landscape orientation to the portrait orientation, the device can berotated 90 degrees about one axis, and 90 degrees about the other axis.

When the swivel mounting member 22 is not in use, it can be rotatedabout the axis 166 so that end of the mounting screw 174 is inserted andreceived in a threaded hole 179 to secure the swivel mounting member 22in a stored configuration. To deploy the swivel mounting member 22, thescrew 170 is rotated so that its end 174 is withdrawn from the threadedhole 179 and the member 22 is rotated 180 degrees about axis 166 so thatthe screw end faces outward and can be inserted into a tripod mountinghole of the camera.

When the tab member 80 is not in use, it is safely stored in theinterior of the housing 14. Adjacent the opening 48 is channel 190 thatlies along the side 32 of the housing and extends into the arm 50. Asseen in FIGS. 3 and 4, the channel 190 is formed from opposing slots 192configured in the inner surface of housing halves 14 a and 14 b. As thetab member 80 allows for a range of rotation of about 180 degreesrelative to the tensile member 18, the tab member 80 and the tensilemember 18 can be folded or otherwise collapsed on each for the tabmember 80 to be inserted distal end first into the channel 190. As shownin FIG. 2 b, the enlarged end 83 of the tab member 80 is advantageouslyconfigured to fill in the indented corner 36 of the housing 14 toprovide a more complete profile to the device 10 when the tab member 80is in the stored configuration. The enlarged end 83 also has a thinnerdimension t than the thickness T of the housing to draw attention to thetab member 80 and facilitate deployment of the tab member from thechannel 190. To deploy the tab member, the user pulls on the enlargedend 83 and pulls the tab member from the channel 190. The tab member canbe stepped by the user on or hooked to the user's body, such as hershoes, belt, belt loop, button hole and the like, or even a nearbyobject.

It is understood that the camera and the device can be arranged in anyconfiguration permitted by the two independent rotational axes and arenot limited to those illustrated herein. While axis 177 provides a 360degree rotation, the user need not ever utilize this full range ofrotation.

The preceding description has been presented with reference to certainexemplary embodiments of the invention. Workers skilled in the art andtechnology to which this invention pertains will appreciate thatalterations and changes to the described structure may be practicedwithout meaningfully departing from the principal, spirit and scope ofthis invention. It is understood that the drawings are not necessarilyto scale. Accordingly, the foregoing description should not be read aspertaining only to the precise structures described and illustrated inthe accompanying drawings. Rather, it should be read as consistent withand as support for the following claims which are to have their fullestand fairest scope.

1. A portable camera steady device for use with a camera, comprising: ahousing; a reel inside the housing, a tensile member carried on thereel, the tensile member having a proximal end and a distal end, thehousing having an opening through which the tensile member extends; aswivel tab member connected to the distal end of the tensile member; aswivel mounting member adapted to attach the device to the camera, theswivel mounting member providing two independent axes of rotationbetween the housing and the camera; and a switch adapted to controlrotation of the reel.
 2. A device of claim 1, wherein the switch isadapted to at least releasably lock the reel against rotation in onedirection.
 3. A device of claim 1, wherein the switch is adapted to atleast releasably lock the reel against rotation in any direction.
 4. Adevice of claim 1, wherein the reel includes a spring coil biasingrotation of the reel in one direction.
 5. A device of claim 4, whereinthe switch is adapted to at least releasably lock the reel againstrotation as biased by the spring coil.
 6. A device of claim 1, whereinthe two independent axes of rotation are generally perpendicular to eachother.
 7. A device of claim 1, wherein the swivel mounting memberdefines one of said independent axes of rotation.
 8. A device of claim1, wherein the swivel mounting member has a mounting screw defining oneof said independent axes of rotation.
 9. A device of claim 1, whereinthe housing has two opposing awls, the swivel mounting member extendingbetween the two opposing arms.
 10. A device of claim 1, wherein theswivel tab member is configured to adopt a deployed position outside ofthe housing and a stored position wherein at least a portion of the tabmember is inside the housing.
 11. A device of claim 1, wherein theswivel tab member has a distal end having a hook member.
 12. A device ofclaim 10, wherein the tensile member extends tangentially from the reelthrough the opening in a linear path to the swivel tab member in thedeployed position while the camera is used in a landscape orientation.13. A device of claim 12, wherein the camera and the device are inplanar alignment.
 14. A device of claim 10, wherein the tensile memberextends tangentially from the reel through the opening in a linear pathto the swivel tab member in the deployed position while the camera isused in the portrait orientation.
 15. A device of claim 14, wherein thecamera and the device are perpendicular to each other.
 16. A portablecamera steady device for use with a camera, comprising: a housing; areel inside the housing, the reel being adapted to rotate in anextension direction and a retraction direction, the reel including aspring coil biasing rotation of the reel in the retraction direction; atensile member carried on the reel, the tensile member having a proximalend and a distal end, the housing having an opening through which thetensile member extends; a swivel tab member connected to the distal endof the tensile member, the swivel tab member adapted to assume adeployed position wherein the swivel tab member is outside of thehousing and a stored position wherein a portion of the swivel tab memberis inside the housing; a swivel mounting member adapted to attach thedevice to the camera, the swivel mounting having a body that defines afirst axis of rotation between the housing and the camera, the swivelmounting member having a mounting screw that defines a second axis ofrotation between the housing and the camera, the two axes of rotationbeing independent of each other; and a switch adapted to controlrotation of the reel.
 17. A device of claim 16, wherein the switch ismovable between a plurality of positions, including a locked position toreleasably lock the reel against any rotation.
 18. A device of claim 16,wherein the positions include a release position to allow rotation ofthe reel in the extension and retraction directions.
 19. A device ofclaim 16, wherein the positions include an extend position to allowretraction rotation